MUSICAL VIBRATIONS

Augmenting the preceding Nuclear Vibrations post with some music I was led in intriguing directions from various groups, tunes and titles, to a unique instrument and movie themes.   The Vibrations are a sixties soul vocal group who recorded what became a pop tune “My Girl Sloopy” that was later re-titled “Hang On Sloopy” with radio stations play flooding the air waves then. 

The tune’s popularity was such that when the Ohio State Marching Band began playing then young musician John Tatgenhorst’s arrangement, the song became a tradition at football games.  "Hang On Sloopy" even became the State of Ohio’s official rock song.   

Jazz and Blues fans will appreciate this well-know musical group’s live on stage performance at the 1980 Montreal Jazz Festival with Gregory (Greg) Williams solos on bass:    

          

♫ ♪ ♫ The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Hang On Sloopy! ♫ ♪ ♫ 

A treat across music generations brings us to So Cal’s Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” in Motownboy’s  restored version.  A unique musical sound known as the Electro-Theremin can be heard in this recording. 

Beach Boys (New STEREO) Good Vibrations HD 1966 

Paul Tanner a trombonist with the Glenn Miller Orchestra developed the instrument’s other-worldly sound you may recall hearing in movies including:

 “The Lost Weekend"

 

 “Spellbound”

"The Day the Earth Stood Still"

 

Those are some of the movies noted by Don Heckman in the Los Angeles Times. 

Paul Tanner born in Skunk Hollow, Kentucky was 95 when he died recently on 2/07/13 in Carlsbad,  California.   The New York Times obituary provides interesting details on this talented musician educator's career, details about the Theremin.  There is a video interview link to the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) non-profit organization with special comments about his Beach Boys association experience and impression of the variance in those musicians actual abilities.